Method of making a sewing needle



Aug. 141956 D. L. DoDDs 2,758,648

METHOD OF MAKING A SEWING NEEDLE Filed March l5, 1954 Day/7 Z700/d5 INVENTOR.

A TTU/@NF Y United lStates Patent() lVlETHQD QF A Dan L Dodds, ,Rbsfow Tex- Application March '15, 195.4, Serial No.. .416,116

1, claim.. tei. 16s-.5.)

This invention relates to a sewing needle and method of making the same, and more partieularly to a sewing needle having an improved construction designed for easy threading and increased strength yand economy of manufacture.

Sewing needles as heretofore commonly made have been of rod-like construction 'having a pointed end and :an eye punched or otherwise formed adjacent the other end, some such needles lalso being provided with oppositely disposed longitudinal grooves at the eye and intended to facilitate threading. Needles of this kind are very dicult to thread, the size of the eye opening being very limited, and there being no way in which the eye can be made larger or otherwise improved to facilitate threading without unduly increasing the dimensions of the eye end of the needle.

The present invention has for its chief object the provision of a needle of improved construction which is easily threaded.

Another object of the invention is to provide a needle of improved strength and durability, having an enlarged eye, which is formed without the necessity of punching or perforating the material of the needle.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an improved method of making needles whereby the sim* plicity of manufacture is increased, the cost substantially reduced, and the strength and durability of the product greatly enhanced.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a method of making a needle which comprises forming the same from wire or similar material by bending, welding or a combination of such operations to form the body fand eye of the needle and forming the point thereon by a forging or other suitable operation.

The :above and other important objects and advantages of the invention will best be understood from the following detailed description, constituting a specification of the same, when considered in conjunction with the annexed drawings, wherein:

Figures 1 and 2 are elevational views of a preferred form of the invention, showing the same in an initial stage, and in the completed stage of manufacture respectively;

Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6 are elevation-al views illustrating a somewhat modiiied form of the invention, showing the same in an initial and in a completed stage of manufacture, and also illustrating the manner in which the needle may be threaded;

Figures 7 and 8 are elevational views illustrating another form of the invention, showing the same in the completed stage of manufacture, and illustrating the manner in which the needle is threaded; and

Figure 9 is a view similar to that of Figure 7, illustrating a still further modilication of the invention, and showing the same in its completed stage of manufacture.

Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, the invention as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 is formed in one piece of wire, or suitable cross-sectional shape 'and of suitable material such as stainless steel or the like, which is bent into a U-shape, the elongated arms 10 of the U propp 2,758,648 Ice Patented Aug -14 1956 -yiding `a body 4or shank, and the bottom 12 of the U forming one end of the eye of the needle. `The needle blank `so formed then has the free ends of the elongated arms 1l) Welded together, by the electrical welding process, `and when so united the end portion formed in this manner is forged to form the point 16 of the needle. By carrying out the forging process by which the needle is formed, rsubstantially at the same time that the free ends of the needle blank are Welded together, or within a Very Short time gafter the completion of the welding, the working of the metal in forging the -same takes place while the metal is still in a heated condition, whereby the points may ,be more easily and perfectly formed than would be lthe case if the metal were allowed to vcool before the forging 0petation is yCarried out.

By properly selecting wire of suitable diameter, regulating the dimensions ofthe bend 12, and the length of the arms 1 0, .the dimensions of the eye 13 of the needle may be determined vin a manner t0 Provide yan eye opening of maximum size, while at the same time preserving the vstrength of the needle, so that a needle having a relatively large eye may be obtained without unduly increasing the overall dimensions of the needle. By making use of a wire whose cross section is oval or eliptically shaped, a needle may be formed in this manner, whose strength is greatly enhanced and having an eye opening which provides a maximum of convenience for threading.

A somewhat modied form of the invention is illustrated in Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6, wherein the needle blank is formed of two separate pieces 20, which may be welded together at one end to form one end portion 22 of the eye of the needle, the opposite end portions 24 of the blank may then be welded together in the manner previously described, and the welded portion forged into a point 26. In this form of the invention the eye 28 of the needle may be forged or otherwise formed at the end opposite the end portion 22, as indicated at 30, whereby a relatively elongated eye opening of substantially constant width from end to end of the eye is provided.

A needle formed in this manner may be very easily threaded in the manner illustrated in Figures 4, 5, and 6, by laying the thread T across the eye opening, as seen in Figure 4, whereupon the thread may be pressed through the eye, in the manner shown in Figure 5, the sides 20 of the eye being suiiiciently resilient to readily spread apart to permit the passage of the thread therebetween. When the thread has been thus pressed through the eye, the projecting portion thereof may be grasped and pulled through the eye, whereupon the needle will be threaded, as clearly seen in Figure 6.

A further modification of the invention is illustrated in Figures 7 and 8, wherein the needle is initially formed from a one piece blank of wire by bending the same into a U-shape, the elongated arms of the U providing a body or shank and the bottom of the U forming one end 42 of the eye of the needle, and a threading element or insert, consisting of a length of wire 41, substantially shorter than the length of the eye opening 48, is inserted between the opposite sides 40 of the eye and welded at one end to the body or shank of the needle at the end 50 of the eye, the other end of the threading element being spaced from the end portion 42 of the eye.

In threading a needle made in accordance with this form of the invention, the eye portion of the needle may be flexed in the manner indicated in Figure 8, the threading element 41 being iieXed in the opposite direction, and the thread T is then inserted between the eye portion of the needle and the threading element. As soon as the thread has been thus inserted, the eye portion and element may be released, whereupon the thread will be pressed through the eye opening when the parts return to a straight condition, and the thread may be pulled through the eye to complete the threading of the needle.

A still further modication of the invention is illustrated in Figure 9, which is formed in a similar manner to the `form described in connection with the invention as illustrated in Figures 7 and 8, except that the insert or threading element 61 is attached at `one end to the end portion 62 of the eye, and the opposite end of this element is spaced somewhat from the end 70 of the eye opening. l'n threading a needle formed in this manner, the eye portion of the needle may be flexed so that the free end of the threading element 61 extends outside lof the eye opening, whereupon the thread may be inserted between the threading element and the eye portion of the needle in the manner previously described, and upon releasing the needle the thread will be pressed through the eye opening. When the eye portion of the needle is unilexed, the insert or threading element 61 will lie entirely within the eye opening, so that the free end of the threading element cannot become caught in or snag the cloth during the sewing operation.

It will thus be seen that the invention, constructed as described above, provides a needle of simple design and rugged construction, which is easily and economically fabricated, and in which an eye opening of large dimensions is formed to facilitate convenient threading of the needle.

While the invention has been disclosed herein in connection with certain specific embodiments of the same, it will be understood that this is intended by way of illustration only, and that numerous changes can be made in the configuration of the needle as well as in the steps of the method by which it is formed, without departing from the spirit of the invention 0r the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus clearly Ishown and described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent, is:

A method of making needles comprising forming a Ushaped blank, uniting the free ends of the arms of the U by welding to torm an elongated eye, forging the united ends to form a point, inserting in the eye an elongated threading element of shorter length than the length of the eye and uniting one end of the element with the needle by welding at one end of the eye.

References Cited in the le of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 130,453 Australia Dec. 3, 1948 595,543 Great Britain Dec. 8, 1947 27,930 Denmark July 4, 1921 

